A yellow flashing traffic light signals a danger zone in traffic. Orange light is also an alarm color for the women’s rights activists of the Soroptimists. In an annual campaign around Human Rights Day on December 10th, the women’s organization asks public institutions, companies and private individuals to illuminate buildings in orange as a symbol against violence against women. The participation in the city of Steyr is large again this year.
“You can feel the solidarity with women who are victims of violence,” says Karin Proyer from the Steyr Soroptimists, “the concern to show violence against women and to prevent it in the future has broad support.” The municipality of Steyr had the lamps on intermediate bridges pasted over in orange so that the building is bathed in orange light during the nighttime irradiation. The evangelical pastor Markus Gerhold has been making provisions for years that the church of the community shines in an orange light on the day of human rights. The director of Raiffeisenbank Steyr has arranged for the windows of the new competence center on Schönauerbrücke to be covered with orange foil. “In addition, there are already many residents who put orange lights in their windows to support the action,” says Proyer. With orange lighting, the Röda cultural center has also been showing solidarity with women threatened by violence for years. In some places the asphalt was covered with stencils and sprayed with orange paint with the slogan “Against violence against women”. Elsewhere, associations have made their showcases available so that the Soroptimists could publish emergency numbers under which women’s shelters and aid organizations can be reached. The sad reason for this year’s campaign is the shockingly high number of murders that have been committed against women. Last year, a knife attack by a young man against an 18-year-old woman in Steyrer Münichholz also ended fatally for the victim. “We have to do everything we can to ensure that such a terrible moment does not come about,” demand the Soroptimists.
The light installations in Steyr – in intermediate bridges, but also on other famous buildings such as the parish church or the town hall – can be seen until December 11th.
Source: Nachrichten
